Rowena Wallace
Rowena Wallace | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 August 1947 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Known for | Sons and Daughters as Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton/Morrell/Palmer |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | |
Rowena Wallace (born 23 August 1947) is an English-born Australian stage and screen actress, most especially in the genre of television soap opera. She is best known for her Gold Logie-winning role as conniving Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton/Morrell/Palmer in Sons and Daughters, being the first soap star to win the Gold Logie.[1] After leaving the series and being replaced in the role by Belinda Giblin, Wallace returned in the final season as Patricia's sister Pamela Hudson.
She started her career on the small screen in the late 1960s in serial You Can't See 'Round Corners as well as appearing in that serial's film version and then had regular roles in TV series including Crawford Productions Division 4, Number 96 and Cop Shop and in 1980–1981 became well known for her stint as Anne Griffin in cult series Prisoner.
After Sons and Daughters, she subsequently appeared primarily in guest roles and cameos in numerous TV serials, before again returning to more permanent fixtures in regular roles from 2000 to 2003 in Home and Away as June Reynolds, in Neighbours in 2007 as Mary Casey and in Deadly Women as gangland figure Judy Moran in 2012.
She has appeared as herself as a panellist on talk show Beauty and the Beast and featured regularly on Bert Newton's popular morning breakfast show Good Morning Australia.
Early life
[edit] | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2023) |
Rowena Wallace was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England, as an only child. She moved to Australia with her parents when she was five, settling in the state of Queensland. Her father was a pilot for Ansett Airlines. Initially she grew up in Cairns and later moved to Brisbane at the age of 12 years. There, she attended Kedron State High School. After finishing school she became interested in acting and was taken by her mother to dancing lessons at, and was also persuaded to join, the Twelfth Night Theatre under the artistic direction of Joan Whalley.
At age fifteen, having left school and attended a business college at the insistence of her parents, Wallace decided to become an actress. She joined an advertising agency while still performing in the theatre at night.
Career
[edit]Early roles
[edit]Wallace's first television role was in Brisbane as an entertainer on the variety show Theatre Royal hosted by George Wallace Jnr (no relation). She also presented the afternoon news and weather and a children's show.
While she was working in Brisbane, Barry Creyton persuaded the producers of a new series to fly Wallace down to Sydney to audition for the lead role in their show. As a result Wallace won the role of Margie Harris in You Can't See 'Round Corners in 1967 and moved to Sydney. She would also feature in the 1969 film version.[2]
After completing Round Corners, she went on to star as the juvenile lead in a short-run TV series called The Rovers; meanwhile, she also starred in the hit comedy stage production between takes of The Rovers with John McCallum and Googie Withers. The show, Relatively Speaking, played to packed audiences in Melbourne.[2]
On 12 February 1970, the film Squeeze a Flower had its world premiere in Sydney. Wallace starred in the movie as the female lead, opposite international Italian film star Walter Chiari. By 1972, she had found work intermittently. In 1973 she married George Assang, some 20 years her senior, a Thursday Island-born jazz singer and actor known professionally as Vic Sabrino.[3] The marriage lasted just over a year, and Wallace has had no long-term relationships since then.[citation needed]
"The Rovers" was a production that soon led to the Number 96 smash hit TV series. Produced by NLT Productions, executive producer was Bill Harmon and producer Don Cash, who would become famous for creating Number 96. The series was created by Roger Mirams and starred Rowena Wallace, Edward Hepple, Noel Trevarthen and child actor Grant Seiden. The storylines revolve around the adventures of the crew of the Pacific Lady, an island schooner owned by Captain Sam McGill (or 'Cap' for short), played by Hepple, Bob Wild (a freelance photographer) played by Trevarthen and Rusty Collins, a wildlife journalist (played by Wallace).
Number 96 and Prisoner
[edit]In the late 1970s she appeared frequently on Australian television, with an ongoing role in the soap opera Number 96 in 1975–1976, followed by a regular role in the police drama Cop Shop, playing policeman's wife Pamela Taylor.[2] After leaving that series she played a mentally unbalanced remand prisoner named Anne Griffin in Prisoner for several weeks in late 1980.
Sons and Daughters
[edit]Rowena Wallace's most famous role was in the soap opera Sons and Daughters, in which she played Patricia Dunne/Hamilton/Morrell/Palmer, starting in 1981.[2] Nicknamed "Pat the Rat", the character became an immensely popular 'bitch' figure in the series; it was the series' most famous character.
In 1984 Wallace won a Gold Logie for the portrayal[2] during an era when Gold Logies were usually won by major television personalities and hosts but not actors. She was the first woman soap actress to win the award since it was opened up to Most Popular Australian Personality.[clarification needed] She was not the first female to win the Gold Logie, that honour going to Australian actress Lorrae Desmond. Wallace also received four Silver Logies.
Wallace left Sons and Daughters after three years, with her final scenes going to air early in 1985 just after her Gold Logie win.[2] Wallace claimed in a reunion documentary that she left due to exhaustion from playing such an intense character. She also claimed she regretted walking away from the role as she did not get the later acting offers she had anticipated. The popularity of her character led to it being recast, with Belinda Giblin assuming the role of a returning Patricia after extensive cosmetic surgery had altered her facial features. Late in the show's run, with ratings in decline, Wallace was returned to the series in an attempt to boost the show's popularity. With Giblin remaining in the show, Wallace now played a new character, that of Patricia's long-lost identical twin sister Pamela. Her return lasted ten weeks but did little to halt the show's dwindling ratings, and the show was cancelled shortly afterwards.
Home and Away and Neighbours
[edit]Between years 2000 and 2003 Wallace appeared in the weeknight soap opera Home and Away as June Reynolds.[4]
In 2007 Wallace joined the cast of Neighbours for several months.[5] She played Mary Casey, an unstable woman[5] who ended up in prison for the false imprisonment of Pepper Steiger. Mary's cellmate turned out to be Sky Mangel.
Other roles
[edit]In 2012 Wallace starred as Melbourne gangland matriarch Judy Moran in the Foxtel series Deadly Women.[6]
In September 2016 Wallace had a cameo in Wonthaggi Theatrical Group's production of Little Shop of Horrors as the narrator.
Personal life
[edit]Wallace was briefly married to George Assang from 1973 to 1974.
At the age of nineteen, Wallace was diagnosed with scoliosis. She has required painkillers almost continuously since then.
Between July 1999 and November 2003, Wallace was collecting a disability support pension, despite being actively employed by television series such as Water Rats, Beauty and the Beast and Good Morning Australia.[7] In October 2005, she was charged with social security fraud, and given a suspended sentence of six months' imprisonment.[7]
In August 2010, Wallace was the subject of a Today Tonight special feature on the Seven Network, where she was reportedly nearly broke and on the verge of becoming homeless. The following week, a number of offers to take her in were made by Australians around the country.
In March 2011, she was the subject of more media coverage, this time because the unit she occupied at subsidised rent in Wonthaggi, Victoria was due for demolition in August 2011 and she feared she would have nowhere to live. The rent in Wonthaggi had doubled or even tripled due to the Victorian Desalination Plant being constructed nearby, but her pension would not even cover her rent.[8]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | You Can't See 'round Corners | Margie Harris | Feature film |
| 1970 | Squeeze a Flower | June Phillips | Feature film |
| 1976 | A Break In The Music | Unknown | Film short |
| 1981 | Puberty Blues | Mrs. Knight | Feature film |
| 1982 | The Dark Room | Liz Llewellyn | Feature film |
| 1985 | Relatives | Nancy Peterson | Feature film |
| 1986 | Backstage | Evelyn Hough | Feature film |
| 1987 | Strike of the Panther | Lucy Andrews | Feature film |
| 1989 | Cappuccino | Anna | Feature film |
| 1995 | Blackwater Trail | Beth | Feature film |
| 1998 | Desire | Unknown | Film short (Tropfest) |
| 2012 | Ryder Country | Rebecca Ryder | Feature film |
| 2019 | Magdala Rose | Lady Corba de Péreille | Feature film[9] |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Theatre Royal | Regular role: Self | TV series |
| 1964 | Beauty and the Beast | Self – Panelist | TV series |
| 1967–1968 | You Can't See 'Round Corners | Regular role: Margie Harris | TV series, 26 episodes |
| 1968 | Contrabandits | Guest role: Carole | TV series, 1 episode: "A Game for Two Players" |
| 1968 | Hunter | Guest role: Sue | TV series, 1 Episode: "Sue" |
| 1969 | Riptide | Guest role: Cathy Smith | TV series, episode 3: "Affair at Mangrove Creek" |
| 1969 | Riptide | Guest role: Xena | TV series, episode 21: "Good Friday Island" |
| 1969–1970 | The Rovers | Regular role: Rusty Collins | TV series, 39 episodes |
| 1970–1971 | Dynasty | Guest roles: Betty Westlake / Jill Campbell | TV series, episode 4: "Young Jim Westlake", "Corrida for A Stuntman" |
| 1970–1971 | Barrier Reef | Regular role: Tracey Deane | TV series, 22 episodes |
| 1971 | Spike Milligan Special | Self | TV special |
| 1971 | What for Marianne? | TV film | |
| 1971 | Spyforce | Guest role: Patricia "Trish" Mathews | TV series, episode 24: "The Lovers" |
| 1971; 1973 | Matlock Police | Guest roles: Sally Broughton / Kate White / Susan Stone | TV series, 3 episodes: "Olsen's Ghost", "Cup Fever", "Jeff's Missing" |
| 1971–1974; 1975 | Division 4 | Guest roles: Andrea Hayes / Betty Miller / Brenda Kelly / Ann Marshall / WPC Diane Webster / WPC Jane Bell | TV series, 15 episodes |
| 1971 | Vision Escalator | TV film | |
| 1972 | Boney | Guest role: Kat Loader | TV series, episode 3: "Boney Meets The Daybreak Killer" |
| 1972–1973 | Homicide | Guest roles: WPC Primrose Taylor / Ruth Morgan | TV series, 2 episodes: "I Love You Primrose Taylor", "Follow The Leader" |
| 1973 | A Brace and a Bit | TV pilot | |
| 1973 | And Millions Will Die! | Maggi Christopher | TV film |
| 1973–1974 | Ryan | Guest roles: Kate / Sue Ogilvie / Zita / Holly Beckett | TV series, 4 episodes: "King's Bishop to Queen Three"; "Miss. Ogilvie Repents"; "Red Alert"; "Goodbye Holly Beckett" |
| 1974 | The Evil Touch | Guest role: Jean Lewis | TV series, episode 20: "Kadaitcha Country" |
| 1974 | Silent Number | Guest role: Sylvia Marsh | TV series, episode 8: "Dark Corridors" |
| 1974 | Out of Love | Guerst role: Julia Martin | TV series, episode 1: "I Don't Want To Know" |
| 1975 | Shannon's Mob | Guest role: Estelle | TV series, episode 9: "Loser Takes All" |
| 1975 | Prophet in Love | TV film | |
| 1975–1976 | Number 96 | Recurring role: Muriel Thompson | TV series, 18 episodes |
| 1976 | McCloud | Guest role: Jennifer McGee | TV series, season 6, episode 7: "Night Of The Shark" |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Recurring role: Harriet Marshall | TV miniseries, 11 episodes |
| 1976 | Murcheson Creek | Karen Fields | TV film |
| 1976 | Taggart's Treasure | TV film | |
| 1976 | Bobby Dazzler | Guest role: Ruth Rierdon | TV series, episode 14: "The New Guard" |
| 1977 | Bluey | Guest role: Jean Anderson | TV series, episode 26: "The Changeling" |
| 1977 | Moynihan | Guest role | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1977 | Going Home | Jacqueline Newton | TV film |
| 1977–1979 | Cop Shop | Regular role: Pamela Taylor | TV series, 158 episodes |
| 1977 | Glenview High | Guest role: Pam Wilson | TV series, episode 10: "Quiet Nights and Silent Deaths" |
| 1978 | Catspaw | Regular role: Kate Keppel | TV series, 7 episodes |
| 1979 | Burn the Butterflies | Dr. Trish Morrison | Teleplay / TV film |
| 1979 | Ray Lawler Trilogy | Self – Presenter | Teleplay series, 3 episodes |
| 1980 | Water Under the Bridge | Regular role: Honor Mazzini | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1980 | Skyways | Guest role: Ann Wallace | TV series, episode 148: "Spaces" |
| 1980–1981 | Prisoner | Recurring role: Anne Griffin | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 1981 | Holiday Island | Guest role: Marjorie Quinn | TV series, 2 episodes: "Zack", "Island Queen" |
| 1981 | Outbreak of Love | Diana Von Flugel | TV miniseries |
| 1981 | The Willow Bend Mystery (aka The Mesmerist) | Regular role: Linda | TV miniseries, 5 episodes screened in 1983 |
| 1982–1985 | Sons and Daughters | Regular role: Patricia Hamilton / Patricia Morrell / Patricia Palmer | TV series, 480 episodes |
| 1985 | Glass Babies | Dr Gloria McCrae | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Sons and Daughters | Recurring role: Pamela Hudson | TV series, 40 episodes |
| 1988 | Tender Loving Care | TV pilot, never aired | |
| 1988 | All the Way | Elaine Seymour | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1988–1989 | All the Way | Regular role: Elaine Seymour | TV series, 26 episodes |
| 1989 | Mission: Impossible | Guest role: Major Natalia Zorbuskaya | TV series, episode 8: "The Pawn" |
| 1989 | G.P. | Guest role: | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1990 | Flair | Pamela Winter-Smith | TV miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 1990 | More Winners: The Big Wish | The Queen | TV film series, 1 episode |
| 1992 | The Flying Doctors | Recurring Guest role: Paulina Giglia | TV series, season 9, episode 27: "Wimp" |
| 1992 | A Country Practice | Guest role: Justice Patricia Lincoln | TV series, season 12, episode 71: "Nothing But the Truth: Part 1" |
| 1995 | G.P. | Guestrole: Elizabeth Armstrong | TV series, episode 24: "Private Faces, Public Places" |
| 1995 | Echo Point | Recurring role: Elizabeth O'Connor | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1996 | Shark Bay | Regular role: Clarissa Delaney | TV series |
| 1997–1998 | Pacific Drive | Recurring role: Mara de Villenois / Mara Devlin | TV series |
| 2000 | All Saints | Guest role: Katrina Ford | TV series, season 3, episode 4: "Eye Of The Beholder" |
| 2000 | Pizza | Guest role: Anne Griffin | TV series, episode 9: "Gambling Pizza" |
| 2000 | Water Rats | Guest role: Dolly Munro | TV series, season 5, episode 30: "Remember This" |
| 2000–2003 | Home and Away | Recurring role: June Reynolds | TV series, 20 episodes |
| 2001 | The Finder (aka Trackdown) | Irene Davidson | TV film |
| 2003 | Code 11-14 | Mrs. Shaw | TV film |
| 2007 | Neighbours | Recurring role: Mary Casey | TV series, 14 episodes |
| 2012 | Deadly Women | Judy Moran | TV series[10] |
| 2012 | Micro Nation | Tottie Nesbit | TV series, episode: "Meet Pullamawang" |
Television (as self)
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | On the Edge of Survival | Presenter | TV special |
| 1984 | Russian Spectacular With Torvill And Dean | Host | TV special |
| 1985 | Return to Children in Crisis | Presenter | TV special |
| 1986 | A Chance to Live | Presenter | TV special |
| 1987 | Fight for Survival | Presenter | TV special |
| 1989 | Save the Children | Presenter | TV special |
| 1990 | Some of My Children | Presenter | TV special |
| 1991 | Cry Children | Presenter | TV special |
Theatre
[edit]Source:[11]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Logie Awards | Silver Logie for Most Popular Lead Actress | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1984 | Logie Awards | Gold Logie | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1984 | Logie Awards | Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1984 | Logie Awards | Silver Logie for Best Actress in a Series | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1985 | Logie Awards | Silver Logie for Best Lead Actress in a Series | Sons and Daughters | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ "CV Rowena Wallace" (PDF). bgmagency.com.au.
- ^ a b c d e f "Rowena Wallace Career Page". memorabletv.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ "Classic Australian Television Interview Rowena Wallace". TV Eye No 3. October 1994.
- ^ "Best Character Awards : 68 to 40..." p. 66. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ a b Casey, Marcus (11 April 2007). "Pat the Rat is back". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ https://m.facebook.com/FOXTEL/photos/a.10150236821355074.476209.14922765073/10152072044190074 [user-generated source]
- ^ a b McClymont, Kate (12 October 2005). "Actor spared jail for benefits fraud". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Gold Logie winner Rowena Wallace needs a home". Herald Sun. 21 March 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Magdala Rose (2019) - IMDb, retrieved 7 December 2020
- ^ "Foxtel". facebook.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ "AusStage".
External links
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